“After Cowboy Chicken Came to Town” describes the integration of American cuisine within China’s culture. Throughout my time reading this story, I began to think about my own enjoyment of Chinese food served here in America. I enjoy the “exotic” flavors and presence of many vegetables and lean meats compared to the majority of fried food served in America. As Cowboy Chicken serves a large population of young Chinese customers, I tend to notice a comparison at Chinese restaurants in America. In my experience, there tends to be fewer older Americans at places where the food is not native to American culture.
While this story stems largely from an employee’s point of view, the capitalist agenda within Cowboy Chicken is an interesting dynamic, specifically as the story takes place in a communist country. The narrator describes his significantly higher wages than his father and diligence of Mr. Shapiro to pay his employees the wages they earned and in a timely fashion. The narrator’s father becomes upset at the harsh reality of his low income and as a result, struggle to feed his family. I feel that most people would question both the competency and efficiency of the economic system when faced with the potential of a completely different economic structure.